The Quick Version
Cherry Log is the small community GA-515 passes through between Blue Ridge and Ellijay, about 7 miles from one downtown and 9 from the other. It holds the region’s heaviest concentration of second homes and a famous barbecue stop. A county line runs through the middle of it, quietly deciding your tax office and your rental rules.
- Typical home value: $488,454 as of May 2026 per Zillow’s index. That lands between Blue Ridge at $522,872 and Ellijay’s 30540 ZIP at $400,469.
- 62% of Cherry Log’s housing stock is seasonal, the highest share of any community in the corridor (Census Bureau, 2019 to 2023).
- The place straddles two counties: roughly 73% sits in Gilmer and 27% in Fannin. Which side your parcel falls on matters at closing.
- Population at the 2020 count: 99. This is cabin country, not a town with a main street.
Shoppers hunting Cherry Log, GA homes for sale usually want one of two things: a getaway cabin deeper in the woods than downtown Blue Ridge allows, or a lower entry price than Fannin County’s resort core. Cherry Log delivers both without giving up the mountains. What follows covers its location, its prices, and the county-line detail I have watched trip up buyers who skip their homework.
Where exactly is Cherry Log, GA?
On GA-515 between the two anchor towns of the corridor. Downtown Blue Ridge sits roughly 7 miles north, a 10-to-15-minute drive. Ellijay lies about 9 miles south, call it 15 to 20 minutes (route-derived estimates, checked July 2026). Everyone who drives between those downtowns passes Cherry Log, and most never notice they did.
The in-between position holds vertically as well. Cherry Log’s ZIP code sits at about 1,597 feet of elevation, above Ellijay’s valley floor at roughly 1,283 feet and below Blue Ridge at about 1,765. Terrain here rolls rather than towers, with ridgelines, creek hollows, and gravel spurs climbing away from the four-lane on both sides.
Cherry Log is a census-designated place, not an incorporated town. There is no city hall, no municipal tax, no local zoning board. It does keep its own identity: a 30522 ZIP code, a namesake creek, a historic church, and one of the better-known barbecue joints in North Georgia. More on that below.
What do Cherry Log homes cost?
The typical Cherry Log home sat at $488,454 in Zillow’s home value index for May 2026. On the corridor’s price ladder that is fourth from the top, under Blue Ridge, Mineral Bluff, and Morganton, and comfortably above Ellijay, Epworth, and McCaysville. The broader market context matters too: values across these communities ran flat to slightly down year over year through spring 2026, so nobody should be underwriting a purchase on appreciation.
| Community | Typical value (May 2026, Zillow) | Elevation | Seasonal housing share | County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Ridge (30513) | $522,872 | ~1,765 ft | 32.3% | Fannin |
| Cherry Log (30522) | $488,454 | ~1,597 ft | 62.0% | ~73% Gilmer / 27% Fannin |
| Ellijay (30540) | $400,469 | ~1,283 ft | — | Gilmer |
Seasonal shares come from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2019 to 2023. One caveat on the price figure: with 99 residents and thin sales volume, no index describes Cherry Log precisely. A creekside cabin on ten acres and a 1990s ranch beside the highway will comp nothing alike. Treat $488,454 as a center of gravity and let pulled comps, not an index, set your number on any specific property.
Why is Cherry Log the corridor’s purest cabin market?
Because almost two of every three houses here are somebody’s getaway. Per the Census Bureau, 62.0% of Cherry Log’s housing stock is classified as seasonal, recreational, or occasional use. Fannin County overall runs 27.1%. The statewide Georgia figure is 1.9%. No other community between Atlanta and the Tennessee line concentrates second homes at that rate.
You can read the character of the place straight out of that statistic. Weeknights are dark and quiet. Driveways fill on Friday. The housing stock leans hard toward log-and-timber construction, wells and septic systems rather than utilities, and privacy measured in acreage. What Cherry Log does not offer is the walk-to-dinner life. For that, look to the depot blocks in Blue Ridge or the square in Ellijay; the guide to Blue Ridge’s corridors and pockets lays out those trade-offs.
Which county is your Cherry Log home in, and why does it matter?
Check before you offer, because the answer varies parcel by parcel. About 73% of the CDP lies in Gilmer County and 27% in Fannin, and the line is invisible on the ground. Two properties a quarter mile apart can answer to different courthouses.
The county controls real consequences: which tax assessor values the property and at what millage, which emergency services respond, and, for anyone planning rental income, which short-term-rental rules govern. Fannin County adopted a dedicated STR ordinance in 2025 with permitting and occupancy requirements; Gilmer administers its own rules separately.
Verify the parcel’s county on the deed and the ordinance text with that county directly before you count a dollar of projected rent. Tax questions belong with your CPA, not an article. That whole due-diligence stack, wells, septic, gravel-road maintenance included, is laid out inside the full Blue Ridge cabin buyer’s guide. Every bit of it applies on either side of the line.
What is there to do in a community of 99 people?
More than the population suggests, and the answers say a lot about the place.
The Pink Pig, at 824 Cherry Log Street, is the landmark. The building went up around 1950 as a country store and grist mill. The Holloway family bought it in 1967, and founder Bud Holloway’s pit-cooked barbecue and Brunswick stew built its reputation. His granddaughter Samantha Callihan and her husband Jacob run it today, Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (pinkpigcherrylog.com, checked July 2026). Out-of-state plates in the gravel lot are normal.
The Benton MacKaye Trail threads through the woods here on its way from Springer Mountain to the Smokies, with 81.8 of its nearly 300 miles in Georgia. The volunteer group that maintains it, the Benton MacKaye Trail Association, keeps its mailing address in Cherry Log. Serious foot trail, straight from the neighborhood.
The Craddock Center, at 186 Fred Craddock Drive, carries the community’s quieter claim to fame. Fred Craddock was minister emeritus of Cherry Log Christian Church and an emeritus preaching professor at Emory’s Candler School of Theology. A study published by Newsweek once counted him among the twelve most effective preachers in the English-speaking world. The nonprofit he founded still runs children’s education and cultural programs across southern Appalachia from Cherry Log.
Who should buy in Cherry Log?
The buyer who wants the woods more than the town. In practice that means:
- Getaway owners who will use the cabin themselves and like that most neighbors are doing the same thing.
- Value-minded Blue Ridge shoppers picking up a meaningful discount to the 30513 market while staying ten minutes from the depot.
- Two-town households that want Blue Ridge’s restaurants one direction and Ellijay’s orchards and lower-priced services the other, each a short drive.
- Hikers and anglers who care that a long-distance trail and trout water sit closer than a grocery store.
It is the wrong fit if you need sidewalks, nightlife, or an HOA keeping everything uniform. Compare the neighbors before deciding. The Ellijay buyer’s guide covers the cheaper county seat to the south. The overview of towns around Blue Ridge sets Cherry Log beside Mineral Bluff, Morganton, McCaysville, and Epworth.
For live inventory in town, browse homes for sale in Cherry Log, GA on my Cherry Log neighborhood page.
I’m Thomas Echea, a homeowner in both Blue Ridge and Fort Lauderdale, and I drive through Cherry Log most weeks. With E+E Group at Compass I have walked buyers over parcels on both sides of its county line. See what is on the market via the Blue Ridge, GA listings page, or get in touch to talk through whether the quiet middle of the corridor is your spot.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cherry Log in Fannin County or Gilmer County?
Both. The census-designated place straddles the county line, with about 73% of its area in Gilmer County and 27% in Fannin. Each parcel belongs to exactly one county, which sets its tax office and short-term-rental rules, so confirm the county on the deed before you offer.
How far is Cherry Log from Blue Ridge, GA?
About 7 miles down GA-515, a drive of roughly 10 to 15 minutes to downtown Blue Ridge. Ellijay lies about 9 miles in the other direction, which puts Cherry Log close to the midpoint between the corridor’s two anchor towns.
How much does a home in Cherry Log, GA cost?
The typical home was valued at $488,454 as of May 2026, per Zillow’s index, below Blue Ridge’s 30513 ZIP at $522,872 and above Ellijay’s 30540 at $400,469. Thin sales volume in a community of 99 people means individual properties can sit far from that midpoint.
Is the Pink Pig in Cherry Log still open?
Yes. As of July 2026 the Pink Pig serves its pit-cooked barbecue at 824 Cherry Log Street, Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., run by founder Bud Holloway’s granddaughter and her husband in a building that started out around 1950 as a country store and grist mill.
